


Snow Fall

by Ashfirebolt



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, Awkward Romance, Bullying, Foster Care, Friendship, Gen, Guilt, Hurt Jack Frost (Guardians of Childhood), Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, blackmailing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-23
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:20:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22380190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ashfirebolt/pseuds/Ashfirebolt
Summary: Even his name seemed to be mocking him. Poor little Jack Frost who had lost his parents to snow. The irony was rich. Snow was not innocent nor would he ever think it was again.ORJack Frost hated snow. It had taken what was most important to him. Now he had to try and continue living with the knowledge that he had no one left that truly cared for him, being passed from pillar to post. But in a new school with new people, could he maybe learn that maybe the world wasn't so bad?
Comments: 1
Kudos: 37





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, this is a story I had posted to fanfiction previously before I discovered this website so I've decided to also post it here! I hope you enjoy this! This first chapter is really only a prologue, and in fairness, I wrote it about three years ago so, if there are any mistakes, I'm so sorry haha. Hope you enjoy anyway!

Snow. It was always one of the things that puzzled Jack most. How it could be so beautiful and so pure yet so dark and so dangerous at the same time. When he was little, his favourite thing to do when it snowed was lie in the snowy grass and just stare up and the snow falling down. Like most children, he would sometimes try to catch the flakes with his tongue but all in all he preferred to just watch and think. It was therapeutic. His parents would watch him from the window and laugh but he didn't care. Of course, it was wet and it was cold but as long as he had a thick coat and a good hat on he was unstoppable. He would return inside with hands that would nearly burn as the indoor heat hit them. He'd curl up by the fire and just let his thoughts run wild while he warmed up and his clothes dried. It was the closest he ever felt to peace. But like everything, peace is short-lived.

His mum would never drive in the snow. Too dangerous she would tell him. She hated braking and not knowing if the car would definitely stop. She chose to walk instead or get lifts with people. He didn't mind though. School was nearby and it just meant more time in the snow. Don't get him wrong, he slipped all the time but the bruises seemed a small price to pay for the joy he felt in the snow. His dad built a sled that winter. I mean he said sled, but it was really a sheet of plastic with two holes drilled into it and a rope looped between them to make do as a handle. Not the most sled like in the world but as long as you pulled at the rope hard enough you would soar down the lane towards his house. It made him feel like a bird swooping down to catch its prey except much more magical than that.

That's what they were doing that afternoon. Sledding. His mum wanted to put the dinner on and his dad wanted to snooze by the fire but he begged and pleaded with them to take him outside. He was old enough to do it himself but it was never as fun on his own and his dad could really give you a strong push. It took time but they finally agreed to take him out because they all knew the snow wouldn't last much longer.

It delighted him to no end. Noses being nipped at by the cold. Laughing faces and being able to see your own breath. It was amazing.

They stood up at the top of the road and his mum told him this was the last go. They would give him one more push down the lane before going inside and warming up. The sun had already started to go down and it was getting harder to see but from the lights of an approaching car, he could see snowflakes beginning to form on his mums' eyelashes so he nodded and hopped on the sled. His mum and dad both gave it an almighty shove and he was soaring down the lane. But this time it didn't feel right. It was like he had left his stomach back at the top of the road with his mum and dad.

He tried to stop or to turn himself around but he was going too fast.

He heard the sounds of breaks squealing from the approaching car he had seen earlier.

He heard the awful noise that followed by metal bending.

But worst of all he heard screams. Two to be exact. And he just knew.

Turns out driving can be dangerous in snow whether you're in the vehicle or outside of it.

The sled was going at such speed at some point that he was unaware of, it tipped him out onto a mound of snow. He just lay there as the tears rolling down his face, frozen in place until his already pale hair was covered in snow.

He just lay there staring up at the snow falling knowing he would never ever look at it the same.

Knowing that it had taken the two most important things in his life and that he had helped it by begging them to come out and play.

Each flake that fell seemed to be laughing at him. Laughing at how innocent he had thought snow was.

Even his name seemed to be mocking him. Poor little Jack Frost who had lost his parents to snow. The irony was rich. Snow was not innocent nor would he ever think it was again.


	2. New Beginning's

Foster care. Good idea badly executed Jack decided. Children needed care, especially those without families of their own but was it really that good of an idea to group ten very different children of different ages into the one house? Especially with two adults both who cared very little for the children over the age of ten. A group which Jack unfortunately fell into. The first day anywhere was always the hardest but was it supposed to be this hard?

Jack's head was spinning with new names and new faces none of which seemed to line up with each other. He was shown to a grubby little room that he shared with Tom or was it John or maybe even Shaun. He didn't really know and he was afraid to ask. Whoever he was he was the oldest in the house and because of that held a 'better than you' attitude. Jack doubted they would be making fast friends as already… Conor! That was his name! Conor sounded nothing like the other names Jack had thought of. Anyway, already Conor had shown that he didn't really care by pointing at Jacks side telling him to stay in it and not to touch his stuff.

Jack plopped himself down on his bed. It was stiff and uncomfortable and nothing like his old bed or his old room for that matter. He sighed. Really the room should be the least of his worries what with what had happened as of late. Even thinking of it caused a pang of guilt to twist in his stomach so tightly that it hurt. He had to take deep breaths to calm himself and he didn't want Conor to see him cry. 'Sixteen year olds don't cry' He thought rubbing his eyes. He was tired. Since his parents had passed away he had from himself being passed from distant relative to distant relative all making up excuses as to why they couldn't keep him. Though in all honesty Jack didn't really like the thought of staying with second cousin Steve miles away from where he was used to. No a foster home was probably the best place for Jack. It's what he deserved after what he had done he decided.

On that thought dinner was served and his housemother Julia shouted but the stairs to them. Conor bolted down the stairs while Jack followed slowly behind. He wasn't excited about being back in the madness of the house. But it wasn't until he reached the table that he realised he should have gone a little faster. All the food was served, instead of on individual plates, in large bowls and plates in the middle of the table. It was a free for all. And Jack was the last there. All that was left of what he assumed was a great dinner was a few soggy potatoes and a burnt looking bit of chicken. Jacks sat down quietly at his place and took his food. It was bland and the textures were all wrong but he was beyond caring. He just put mouthful after mouthful into his mouth because he knew that what he should do. He didn't really care about food. Or anything else for that matter.

Everyone else was shouting across the table at one another but Jack was ignored which he was thankful for. The only interaction he had throughout the whole dinner was a small smile from the girl across the table, Lucy he thought her name was. She was the only other person over the age of ten. She was the one that had explained to Jack that Julia and Max didn't deal with the older children much. She told him it wasn't on purpose but more that it was because the younger children needed more attention but she said that it just sometimes was easier to just keep your head down, and stop looking for attention because here is not where you would find it. Jack supposed that sounded about right. He just needed somewhere to live. He didn’t need a new parent. He had had two and look where they ended up.

As soon as dinner was over Jack cleared his plates and cutlery and loaded them into the dishwasher something he noticed that nobody else had done before going up to his room. He could hear from downstairs that people were watching football or something loud with lots of cheering and groaning.

After unpacking his few belongings into the chest of drawers he was given he just lay down on his bed with his eyes shut as though he were going to sleep although he knew sleep would not come easily to him tonight. School was starting tomorrow. Jack was attending a new school the one that Lucy and Conor where going to. New school new people, lovely. He didn't want a new school. He loved his old one, he had friends, good grades and the teachers liked him. They would understand his new mood. Not the way that all the new people would see him. To them he would be a moody, unsociable pain in the backside. That's not how he wanted to be known. He would be happy if he could. It just didn't work like that. He didn't feel like he could be happy again. The guilt was killing him no matter how often he was told it was his fault.

He’d missed a lot of school in the recent times. He just didn’t have the energy. And so, his social worker had decided what was best for him was a new school. The school that he worked in. So he had constant supervision with someone who knew his situation. Whoop dee do. 

After a while Conor returned to the room jumping into his bed. Jack lay silently waiting for Conor's breathing to slow down and eventually fall asleep. It was only then that Jack allowed the tears he had been holding in all day flow out of his eyes. He silently sobbed until finally he fell asleep, his face wet with tears.


	3. Custodes

Jack's eyes stung with sleep deprivation. The light burned his eyes and he wanted nothing more than to turn around a go back to sleep, although he doubted he would fall asleep easily after the struggle he had had last night before falling into a fitful sleep full of nightmares.

Nightmares were not a new experience to Jack. He had had the odd few where he had started to fall and woken up sweaty and breathless but knew full well that the nightmare was over.

Not this time.  
No, not this time.

You see the thing is with those nightmares once you wake up, that's it. You're pulled into the real world and can sigh with relief and laugh and tell people about the odd dream you had where you were going across a plank very high up and typically fallen and people would grin and pretend the dream had a deep meaning like he was going to be trampled by an elephant and you would be so caught up by these discussions you forgot about why you had been scared at all.

Not with these. These nightmares were crippling. It filled Jack with a terror like none he had seen before. If there really was a boogie man then Jack reckoned he spent the night terrorising Jack. And the thing was there was no one to tell him it was okay and that it was just a dream. No one to assure him that he was safe. No one to discuss them with and laugh about afterwards. And anyway what would Jack say to explain them. "Oh hey guys, turns out I'm terrified of snow funnily enough."

Who was scared of snow? But it wasn't just the snow. Jack knew that. Didn't make him feel any better though. How to explain that every time he closed his eyes he could see flurries fall down on top of him building up and up until he eventually stopped being able to breathe, until his throat closed up as he choked and spluttered and the snow began to become heavy on his chest until his lungs burned, until suddenly he wasn't under snow but under icy water, uselessly attempting to tread water and try to reach the surface which was never close enough, no matter how hard he pushed, no matter how much he begged, pleaded for help, no one ever heard him.

And then he'd wake up thinking that he was still underwater as his face would be soaking but quickly realising that no, it was just his tears.

He hated nightmares. But he thought maybe he hated normal dreams more.

Because in normal dreams he would spend time with his parents, chat, and just do day to day things. They were lovely while they lasted but the morning was always awful because he might as well have been having a nightmare when he woke with a thought on his lips to tell his mother but quickly realising that that wasn't going to happen. The pangs he felt in his stomach every time he realised had not improved in the slightest and if fact he thought it was getting worse.

The stress was getting to him. He avoided sleep at every chance he got because he didn't want to plagued with nightmares anymore. He was done. Weight was dripping off of him, giant black bags made his eyes look like he had gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson. His social worker, Mr Moon, had decided that Jack's disposition was due to school and having no friends. He decided to take matters into his own hands. He was a guidance counsellor in a school about half an hour away from where Jack was living. Custodes was the name of the school and Mr Moon thought it would be a good idea to send Jack there because this school didn't count for the whole of secondary school. They instead focused on students in fourth and fifth year because they found it easier to deal with just two age groups and that meant students received more focus and help approaching their exams and heading to college. This meant that all the students entering fourth year would be new, and all around the same age as Jack.

Jack knew that wasn't what the problem was but he was beyond caring. He didn't bother arguing because it's not like he even liked his school to begin with. Since the accident, he had only spoken to his old friends once or twice but as expected they drifted after not seeing each other and it just seemed awkward.

So that September Jack started his new school. His eyes were heavy but he felt about as rested as he usually once as he blearily rubbed his eyes watching Julia tearing through his clothes to get something suitable to wear to school. This was slightly difficult as Jack had very few possessions and couldn't care less what he wore. She decided on a blue hoodie left by a previous child and a pair of jeans.

"Throw that on and come down for breakfast," Julia told Jack. "Seen as it's your first day I'll drive you." She said ruffling his blonde hair looking slightly concerned as since he had arrived it had slowly become more and more white rather than blonde, due to stress she guessed.

Jack gave her a small smile and a nod. Everyone else had left for school already but Jack didn't need to rush as he was getting a lift. He threw on his clothes before heading down the stairs. Usually to be the last to breakfast you'd be left with crumbly cornflakes but Julia had kept him a dish with bacon and eggs kept warm in the oven.

'I must be in bad shape for them to give me this much attention.' Jack thought not liking attention on him. It sort of creeped him out a bit. He picked at his breakfast until enough was gone to be able to say he had tried. When he had finished, Julia handed him a sandwich for lunch which he wordlessly packed away before they headed off to school.

His new school was tiny. He was used to a school that had about four stories and spread across large ground. This school was one story. The grounds had just enough room for a gymnasium, car park and the school itself. Across the road a bit there was a tennis court and basketball court next to the football pitch. The inside of the school wasn't much better. There were about twenty classrooms altogether, a canteen and a library. Along with that, there were a few computer rooms, labs and the home ec kitchen and the woodwork room. It was so small it genuinely took Jack by surprise.

His morning consisted of a tour around the school along with the 80 or so other fourth years. In his last school, there had been at least 200 in his year and that was considered very small.

After the tour and because everyone was new they were split into groups of five to get to know one another. Jack quietly observed the four other members of his group. They could not be more different if they tried.

The first he noticed had to be the tallest seventeen-year-old he had ever seen. He was at least 6'5 and was built like a rugby player with broad shoulder purely made up of muscle. He intimidated Jack who only stood at about 5'11.

The next was a scruffy looking boy with thick bushy eyebrows and scruffy brown hair. He had an even tan and a tattoo around his bicep. He had a pen behind his ear and studied the room as though painting everything with his eyes.

The only girl in the group was jumpy little petite thing that couldn't keep still. She reminded Jack of a hummingbird and it seemed if she sat still she would literally die. She had long golden hair that was plaited back with colourful flowers sprinkled through her hair. Her eyes were a vibrant green and everything else about her was bright.

The last member would easily have gone unnoticed. He was about the smaller than the girl and was like a little teddy. He had a very golden look to him. Golden hair, golden skin and golden eyes. He reminded Jack a bit of a golden retriever.

"We should introduce ourselves!" The girl chirped excitedly. "My name is Fia Ferry." She smiled.

"Is that even a real name?" The second boy asked surprising Jack with a thick Australian accent.

"Of course it's a real name." She said never losing her grin. "It's short for Fiacla. It's…"

"Irish." Jack interrupted surprising himself by the grin on his face. "Your name is Fiacla?" He asked starting to laugh.

"What's wrong with that? Why are you laughing?" She asked confused.

"Do you speak Irish?" He asked looking at her as she shook her head. "Fiacla is the Irish for teeth. Your surname is Ferry. Your name is literally Tooth Fairy." Jack said as the others began to join in with the laughter including Fia.

"Oh my god." She laughed. "My parent's found out they were pregnant with me while in Ireland. They saw the word on a random poster and asked how it was pronounced and loved it. They thought it was a sign that that should be my name." She giggled.

"Moving on. I'm Aster Lapin." The Australian said when the laughter subsided. "I was born in Australia and I moved here this summer." He explained.

"Is Aster a common name?" Fia questioned.

"Well not really. It's my middle name and its loads better than my first name." He admitted.

"Which is?" The large man asked with a hint of a Russian accent.  
"Edmund." He said scrunching his nose up.

"Wait so you're Edmund Aster?" Jack asked to which he received nods. " ?" He said grinning once again.

"Yes! My name is ." He said. "What's so funny about that?"

"Well my dear Koala, it's just your name is, or Easter which means we have a Tooth Fairy and an Easter Bunny." Jack grinned.

"Call me a Koala or a bunny again and you'll see what happens," Aster said angrily to which Jack replied with a laugh.

"Sorry, it's just too good to be true." He said. "Next he'll be saying he Santa. Ain't that right St. Nick?" Jack grinned at the Russian who blushed. "My name is Nick." He said which received a mighty laugh from the group. "Nicholas North." He grinned

"What about you then? What's your name?" Fia asked the last boy smiling down at him. The boy pulled out a notepad and began to scribble on it, his tongue poking at the corner of his mouth. When he was finished he turned it around for them all to read. It read 'My name is Sandy, I'm your very own Sandman, haha' which got a grin from everyone. He started scribbling again. 'I'm not deaf; I just have a speech impediment so I prefer it this way.' They all nodded.

"That's fine Sandy, you have really nice handwriting by the way." Fia smiled.

"Okay, you've made fun of all our names, how do you fit into this equation?" Nick asked.

"I'm the one and only Jack Frost." Jack grinned cheekily. "The most important member."

Jack missed laughing and taking the piss out of his friends. He could almost ignore the knot in his stomach. Maybe this school would be different.

"Your parents must have really hated you to call you that." Aster joked as the pit came back in full force. Maybe not.


	4. Old and New Faces

Jack didn't know what to say in response. I mean, what did you say to that?

"Well, your family must have been Jesus nuts naming you after Easter." He said with a confident smirk that did not reflect what was happening inside of him. Just when he thought maybe he could have friends again he was reminded of why that wasn't a good idea. They didn't know his story and sympathy friends were the last things he wanted at the moment.

Just as Aster opened his mouth to reply a sharp bell rang. One of the teachers in the room with them looked up.

"Lunchtime." He smiled "I hope everyone remembers their way to the cafeteria." He grinned

Fia began asking the others if they were buying lunch or if they took their own. Everyone but Jack had decided to buy lunch. Jack sighed with relief. That meant that they would all head into the cafeteria together and he could be by himself.

As they neared the queue, Jack started to fall back hoping they wouldn't notice. Once they were far enough away he turned around and spotted a small table right in the corner that was empty. He plopped himself down lifting out the lunch that had been prepared for him. He wasn't particularly hungry but he knew that eating was a good excuse for keeping his head down. He didn't want to draw attention to himself although perhaps the hair would be a slight giveaway. He pulled up his hood and settled in picking at the lunch in front of him. He'd love a cup of tea or coffee but that would mean leaving his little sanctuary.

Ever since…. It had happened Jack had struggled to completely warm himself up. Especially his hands and feet. It seemed that no matter what he did, he was in a permanent state of having the chills. That was why he tended to stick to cups of tea or coffee because for a least a few minutes his hands weren't in danger of turning blue which had happened on more than one occasion.

Just as Jack was starting to feel safe he heard the screech of a chair being pulled out and seen Sandy plopping himself down followed by Fia who started talking the second she sat down.

"Nearly didn't see you there." She laughed as she lay down her tray. "Pity there wasn't a table with enough room for all of us but the cafeteria doesn't seem to take long filling up. We'll need to get out earlier tomorrow." She giggled. "Oh, and Aster and Nick are looking for another table to take over to this one." She smiled.

Jack looked around and seen she was right. The cafeteria had filled up quickly leaving no seats at big tables left. He peered at Fia and seen that she didn't realise he had been trying to avoid them. And if she didn't the other probably didn't either. Jack sighed. That meant he would have to try harder to make them not want to be friends with him.

Jack didn't reply to Fia and instead turned back to his food picking at bits and pieces of it not in the mood for anything.

"Mate no wonder you're so bloody skinny if all you do is nibble at your food." A booming voice exclaimed, announcing Aster to the rest of the table followed by Nick dragging a table behind to join up to the other.

"I'm not skinny." Jack frowned looking up at Aster. "I just have better things to be doing than staying in the gym all day staring at myself in the mirror," Jack replied hoping to strike a nerve however just getting a raised eyebrow in response.

"Not skinny? I can easily fit my fingers around your wrist with room to spare. You're tiny too, I'd say you and Fia could nearly share clothes." Nick laughed joining in.

"I'm not small either, I'm 5'9." Jack declared knowing that he wasn't nearly as tall as the two in front of him but he was a good few inches taller than Sandy.

The boys laughed as Fia grinned excitedly. "Jack if you'd like you can borrow this dress anytime." She smiled not opposed to being compared to Jack. "And I'm 5'7." She grinned. "Meaning in heels, I would tower over you.

"Poor little Jackson can barely reach this table." Aster grinned while Jack rolled his eyes. He usually enjoyed banter like this but today it just wasn't for him.

"I'm not even the smallest here, Sandy is clearly only about 5 foot tall." Jack retorted.

"Yeah but that height suits Sandy." Nick shot back. "You look as though you should at least be 6'" Nick said as Sandy held up five fingers on one hand and three on the other. "See he's not 5 foot, he's 5'3."

Jack decided he'd had enough of the chatting and started gathering up his things. "Sorry guys, I need to go check something in the library." He said hoping that his quick leave would be seen as rude and they would leave him alone. They all looked at him with confusion wondering if they had done something to offend him.

Instead of going to the library where they could easily follow him, he decided instead to just wander around and get the feel for his new school. It wasn't very big but that just meant that teachers would be less tolerant of you if you were late. He knew his next class was English so he decided to start there and work his way back. He found that the English room was down near the practical classrooms like woodwork or metalwork. Sitting on the floor in front of the door was a load of boys chatting and eating their lunch. Jack turned and began walking the other way not wanting to disturb them.

"Frost?" He heard in a voice that sounded vaguely familiar. He turned around and seen a boy he very much recognised. Damien Tamas. Damien had gone to Jacks first school. He lived not far from Jacks home and more than likely knew the full story. He always gave out a confident aura but to Jack, it had come across as cocky. He didn't trust him as far as he could throw him.

"Hey," Jack replied with a then lipped smile. "How's it going?" He asked.  
"Not too bad not too bad," Damien replied with a laugh. "I didn't know you were going to go here but then again, I haven't heard much about you ever since the… well, you know." He said with a shrug. "Anyway, how have you been?" He asked

Jack shrugged. "Yeah fine, heard this was a good school and here I am." He said wondering how to get away before a thought struck him. "Could you keep that to yourself by the way? You know, I just don't want pity friends, got enough of that already." He admitted.

"Oh yeah, yeah sure!" Damien replied. "Course I won't say, it'll be our little secret, you needn't worry." He grinned. Jack sighed with relief, at least he wouldn't have to worry about that. "Thanks, better go find my friends anyway," Jack said pointing absentmindedly behind before backing up as Damien waved him off.

Jack managed to get a good bit around the school before the bell rang again so he made his way to the English room. He managed to get a seat alone but was soon approached by a girl.

"Can I sit here?" She asked with a lilting accent that Jack couldn't quite place. Jack nodded observing her slightly as she got somethings out of her bag.

She was pretty but not gorgeous. She was average height and nothing about her was amazing but something about her really drew his eye to her. Her eyes he thought it was. They were unbelievably blue.

"I'm Sophie by the way." She smiled looking at him holding out her hand.

"Jack." He said as he shook it noticing she didn't even flinch at the cold.


End file.
